


Shoot'em Up

by ChaoticBabe



Category: Reprisal (TV 2019)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Missing Scene, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23429482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticBabe/pseuds/ChaoticBabe
Summary: Meredith Harlow grew up around dangerous men, each one as violent as the last. They all taught her something, some more than others.
Relationships: Matty & Meredith Harlow
Kudos: 11





	Shoot'em Up

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope if we get a season two they expand on Meredith and Matty's relationship.

Meredith Harlow's upbringing was the personification of the saying 'it takes a village to raise a child'. Except in her case it was more of a gang than a village, and they didn't so much as raise her as teach her how to get in and out of trouble, all the while calling her a brat.

This meant she grew up learning many unorthodox things. 

The gearheads taught her how to hot wire a car before she could drive.

The dancers showed her how to slip a mans wallet out of his pocket and smile all the while.

Joel took a more active role in her life, even once his own kid came along, seemingly taking it all on himself to keep charge of her once Burt was gone. Poor Joel, he's never known what to do with her.

(In her own way Meredith was grateful to all of them, they were more family to her than Burt was in someways)

Everyone put in some effort one way or another.

But, it was Matty who made sure she knew how to shoot. 

-

Despite the rule of no guns in the Bang-A-Rang, there are _always_ guns around. They're a gang after all.

Most of the guys think little of leaving them out in random places, so Meredith grew up used to the sight of them. She'd never known anything else.

She never really messed around with the guns though, not like with the knifes that Queenie taught her to use after Burt caught her playing with them. Even when he was around he pushed her off on other people. It was something that hurt the older she got.

Then her teenage years hit, rebellion and resentment starts pumping through her blood.

It's no surprise that when Meredith is fifteen she nicks a gun, anyone that notices it's missing will just assume they lost it. Happens more often then it should.

For a while she doesn't do much with it, just takes it out when no ones around and looks at. Basks in the slight thrill of having it, gets used to the weight of it in her hands. It goes on like this till one afternoon when the sun is too hot and moving itself feels like a chore. 

Meredith is hiding out in the shade with Matty, who's usually good company.

Both of them are content to sit in mutual silence and try to stay cool by sipping on the sodas Matty brought over earlier.

Eventually Meredith grows bored of people watching and with a put upon sigh of having to move, reaches down to grab the bag at her feet. Starts digging in search of a book to pass the time when the gun slips out of the half undone front pocket, landing with a dull thud in the dirt.

For a moment neither Matty or Meredith move.

It's an unofficial rule that Meredith isn't allowed a gun, never mind that everyone else is armed. It's not safe for the little princess. 

Meredith scrambles her head for some excuse, or for lack of that something flippant to say to make the situation seem less serious. There's no way he isn't going to run to Joel about this, it might be what he needs to finally become an official brawler.

Matty's voice interrupts Meredith's increasingly panicking thought process. "Do you know how to use that thing?" 

Meredith steels herself, resorts to her default mode when confronted, bluffing. "Sure I do. You cock it and then pull the trigger. Bang, the other guys dead."

She finally moves to grab the gun off the ground but Matty beats her to it.

"You shouldn't be carrying this around if you don't know how to use it. It's dangerous." 

Meredith barely resist rolling her eyes at that, dangerous says the man who picks fights for fun.

"Yeah well, it's not like I have anyone to teach me." She doesn't have to elaborate to him on why that is.

With a nod of acknowledgement, he surprises her by handing her the gun back.

"You should learn how to use that." His words are contemplative, and spoken more to the air than her.

He's right. 

It's never going to happen though.

It would be nice to know how to properly shoot a gun, she wants to know how, but by now Meredith is well aware that the special privileges that comes with being Burt's daughter also has draw backs. No one is going to openly offer to teach her how to shoot in case Burt has a problem with the idea - Joel already warned them off- and no one can ask him one way or another since he hasn't been around in years. If she wants to learn she's going to have to do it in secret on her own or make a hell of a scene to convince them she needs to be taught for everyone's safety. Probably a very public scene that involves a _lmost_ shooting someone, god she'll be in trouble for weeks.

Looking down at the pistol in her hand she can't help but think It might be worth it.

But in the end she didn't have to do anything to convince Matty to teach her.

Matty get's up from beside her, takes a moment to stretch before looking down at her. "Come on."

Her brow scrunches up in confusion. "What?" 

"You've got to know how to use that thing if you're going to keep it. Someone should have taught you by now." He gestures with his head towards his ride, "Get in."

Her eyes go wide in disbelief but she doesn't give him time to reconsider, quickly snatching up her bag and sliding into the passenger seat.

They're on the road to whatever destination Matty has in mind when she finally works up the nerve to ask.

"You're not going to tell Joel?"

His eyes never leave the road. "Nope."

She wants to press for more but is too afraid of pushing her luck, so stays silent till the park on a deserted area of land surrounded only by a few spare trees.

"Tell me what you know about shooting, and we will go from there." Matty calls out to her while drawing in sharpie on the nearest tree.

Meredith makes a face. "You point and shoot till you hit the person you're aiming at."

"And waste all your amo? Unless you're carrying a tommy gun that's not the way to go."

An embarrassed blush takes over her cheeks. 

"Well what do I do then, if you're so smart," She snaps.

"Are you this snotty with you're friends."

"I don't really have friends," Meredith said with a shrug. "I have babysitters and watchers."

Meredith is under no illusions, anything she says or does is likely to be reported back to Joel- it's happened plenty in the past and Meredith has learned from those mistakes. Other children running off to tattle, to the adults keeping tabs on her, she was never able to get away with much and grew up trusting no one.

It's for the best.

Matty opens and closes his mouth, but says nothing to that.

Taking a deep breath and reminding herself that Matty is doing her a favor, she tries to fix the situation.

"Sorry, I was rude." Her voice sounds as contrite as she feels. Meredith knows she can be prickly, it's not one of her better traits. 

Her apology seems to stun him, for a moment all he does is blink. 

Nodding he seems rally. "It's fine brat, come here. Come here so I can teach you how to aim."

She smiles, grateful to him for pushing past the awkwardness, and walk over to him. They spend the next hour shooting a tree Matty drew an x on.

When they are driving back to the bang-a-rang Matty asks if she wants to meet up again in two days for more practice.

Meredith can't say yes fast enough.

It's weeks later when her shot is starting to get good and they are moving on to moving targets, that Meredith asks the question that's been running through her mind since the first day.

"Why didn't you tell Joel?"

She knows it's more than just the fact he thought it wasn't right or fair that she didn't know how to use a gun. If that's what he had a problem with he wouldn't be running with the brawlers. Right and fair don't figure into their motto.

"You wanted to learn. And you're better off for knowing, safer."

She gives him a look of disbelief, causing him to self consciously shrug and look away.

"You risked getting in deep shit with Joel just for that?" Matty all but hangs on Joel's words, wants to be just like him she's learned, and he's risking his anger for _her_. She just doesn't get it.

With a sigh he relents. "We're family. Me and you, we're friends right. And friends keep each others secrets, help each other out when they can, and definitely don't snitch on each other." Briefly he looks over meeting her eyes before turning back to the road. "I'm not your damn watcher Meredith, alright." 

Silence greets his words. It starts to make his hand fidget on the wheel.

When he can't take the lack of response any longer he looks over, only to be greeted by a bright grin.

"Yeah Matty, I guess we are friends."

As if they'd reached some agreement with those words Matty nods and lets loose a Cheshire grin. 

Leaning back into the seat the feeling of some knot Meredith didn't even know she had begins to unravel in her chest.

Yeah, Matty and her, they're definitely friends.

And what Joel doesn't know wont hurt him.

-

Eventually Meredith's shooting gets good enough that they both realize they don't need to keep sneaking off every few days for shooting lessons anymore. Meredith pouts over it for a full day till Matty comes to her with another idea.

"Do you wanna know how to throw a punch?"

Meredith laughs nodding her head and climbs into his passenger seat.

She would have said yes to just watching TV together, they're friends after all, but this is better.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it, tell me what you think.


End file.
